from what i’ve learned from this site i have no chance of getting into college. i’m a complete idiot. i haven’t done enough.<br>
i’m on the brink of exhaustion and this website is not goot for my mental health yet i just keep coming back. shame on me.<br>
anyone feel the same?
<p>I do. Seeing people complain about a freakin' 2290 disgusts me, and sometimes makes me think that people are simply doing that to **** others off. However, I constantly remind myself that the people on this site represent like the top 1% of the entire US population, and that makes me happy (sort of).</p>
<p>Just take a deep breath and relax. This website is filled with overachieving kids and overanxious parents (like me). I'm a believer that there is a college out there for everyone, you just have to look for it. Maybe your not ivy league material (and honestly at this point, I'm not sure who is), but I'm willing to bet there are tons of colleges that would like to have you... and that's without even knowing your stats.</p>
<p>hey who knows if i'm ivy league material. it's just so silly with people complaining about these great scores. like i was thrilled when i found out how i did. they're nothing to skuff at. sigh. well. i'm happy for all these smart people. they're good test takers. i m not as skilled. but i have my strengths. :-D</p>
<p>sleepibabi33,</p>
<p>Don't worry about it too much. I've managed to stay on this site and not post my stats. I did pretty well during the admissions process, but I think it's mainly from learning from the mistakes the people you hear complain (about their top scores). First off, and most importantly, don't think that college is a right. It's a privilege, an honor that if you get excited then you should be excited about. It seems a lot of posters on CC tend to come from better high schools or private schools and, as an extension to that, have educated parents who expect a lot out of them (and, consequently, they've deluded themselves into thinking that getting high standardized test scores was THEIR dream all along; if it is a dream, a wish of theirs, then how sad is that? What ever happened to wanting to go to the moon?). Secondly, the amount people who do post their statistics may seem overbearing, but when you put all of these applicants together it represents a small, small fraction of college students. The fact that they feel the need to show off their scores- as if it's some measure of achievement- is a sad, sad thing. Third, have full confidence in the Admissions Offices. They've seen "the type" many, many times over and be sure that it raises red flags when they receive applications from these kids. Fourth, have confidence in these kids' confidence. What I mean is, a lot of these kids have been fed a formula to succeed in high school and get into the top schools. The sad thing is when they find out that volunteering 500+ hours and doing research at a local university amounts to very little unless it's apparent that it's their passion. For example, if one's teacher recommendations fail to mention that he/she is an upstanding citizen and very courteous, Adcom will wonder just what the hell that student is going about volunteering for? Shouldn't he/she sit around and mope about the computer posting statistics?</p>
<p>When you go about applying to college, don't make the mistakes these kids might do. Show humility, show good humor and fun, find your passion and stick to it- it might very well just transfer into a particular college accepting you over that "other" kid. Keep your heads up, guys! Best of luck!</p>
<p>TTG</p>
<p>thanks :) nice peoople:-)</p>
<p>Just remember, this IS the internet, and people can post whatever they want. I'm not saying that everyone here is lying, but there's bound to be a few people who exaggerate their stats and schools that they've been admitted to. </p>
<p>Take a deep breath, and relax. The admissions people will know whether or not you're a good fit, and in the end, as long as you put your best foot forward, everything will turn out all right. Good luck. It's a tedious process, but I think I ended up learning more about myself in the end.</p>
<p>Sleepibabi33... as a junior reading some of the admissions threads from this year, I too am greatly discouraged at times ;) But really, you just don't know how all these people will come across on paper, how their essays will be, etc. You don't know these people at all, in fact... some of these "impeccable" star students could be pompous bastards in real life who will really turn off admissions officers. Personally, I'd rather just be myself, stay sane, and not kill myself over school and end up where I'm bound to end up than make myself miserable to get into a school I might not even end up liking. Good luck :)</p>
<p>sleepi...I felt exactly as you do, and I still do to an extent, but for better or for worse, I've built up a resistance to this site, and it doesn't seem totally crazy anymore. I have to say I'm a very "normal" person in comparison to a lot of the posters here. Sure, I may talk about colleges a little too much here, and don't give myself enough credit for high test scores, but I do not do all these crazy things like building houses in Sri Lanka over the summer or shadowing a physicist every day after school. I am pertty sure that many of these kids will be very transparent in the sense that theyare trying to creat a perfect resume, and while their stats are good, their recommendations/essays/interviews probably are not. Also, these kids are probably among the smarter kids ATTENDING the top schools, so about 80% of the other students there could be much less intense!</p>
<p>for some reason, no matter how depressed we all get from this site, why do we come back every time? I always do, and I keep promising myself i wouldn't bother comparing myself to others or seeing how bad im doing and just stay focused on what I have to do, but it's a promise i just can't keep.</p>
<p>There is alot of helpful information on this site, but you have to take it with a grain of salt because posters see you as only a small vignette. Also, this site has a disproportionate number of people interested in ivy league schools and top LACs. It is not an representative sampling, so stop worrying! Just extract whatever useful information you can and leave it at that!</p>
<p>alright I am an overaCHIEVER !!! Everyone else says the opposite :D </p>
<p>anyway if you came to CC to compare yourself to others came to the wrong place. This place should be used to for fun and informative purposes :)</p>
<p>i know exactly how you feel. i found this sight fall of my senior year and it just about gave me a nervous breakdown. i freaked out about college selection and i avoided it for a while...so i decided where i would apply on my own and then i came back (slowly!) after a while.</p>
<p>the thing is...Stop reading all those chances threads!!!!!! stop it right now. they are crazy, people post ridiculous stats and the advice is okay, but people keep looking for the magic answer and it's not there, they just get told the same thing they already know. </p>
<p>The reason I stayed on CC is because of the camaraderie, there were hardly any other people at my school applying to the same places I was, and this was a place where I could groan about the same application questions, fret about chances and deadlines, and get all sorts of useful information on the schools that I was applying to. The college person at my school wasn't particularly helpful, and I feel like I went through the whole process with a blindfold on and I just ended up where I stumbled to, but CC gave me insight and people to talk to.</p>
<p>Eighty per cent of the stuff on CC has to do with getting into HYP colleges. About 1.2 million people go to college every year and only 50000 of them go to what we would describe on CC as being extremely selective schools. This is only 4.2 percent!!!! People trying to get into HYP need all the help they can get because the system is so insane. In 2003, about 760 people had 1600 on the SAT. About 500 of those applied to Harvard and about 300 got in. If someone told me that a legacy URM from North Dakota who had an Olympic Gold Metal and the Congressional Medal of Honor had been denied at Harvard, I would be surprised. For everyone else, anything can happen. </p>
<p>Fortunately, the insanity doesn't extend much below the top ten schools. Don't take the stuff on CC too seriously. </p>
<p>In particular, keep away from the "What are my chances?" threads. Those are just little chat rooms for high school seniors, and the stats are suspect.</p>
<p>This thread is probably about the only thread that hasn't made me feel like a piece of dirt, but sicne I'm used to being treated that way, it hardly matters. You feel like dirt on any internet forum with a high concentration of teenagers. It doesn't have to be about college; it can be computer games, or science fiction, or anything. You'll still feel like dirt. So don't worry. :-p</p>
<p>On a college-related topic, will a bloody brilliant essay count for anything in the average top school's admission process? Will it offset some not too bright grades, for example?</p>
<p>It will help a lot but it won't get you in the door if you don't have the stats. It can help with scholarships as well and if you are borderline.</p>
<p>"Seeing people complain about a freakin' 2290 disgusts me, and sometimes makes me think that people are simply doing that to **** others off. However, I constantly remind myself that the people on this site represent like the top 1% of the entire US population."</p>
<p>CC doesnt represent the population. It's not the top 1% of college bound seniors either. It represents the people who care most about college. The worst, mediocre, or best applicants wont come here.</p>
<p>agree with bubbles- most CCers are high achivers- not necessarily the best, but the ones who care the most about college.
OP- many more people are going to college, but the need for more educated people is growing. although some colleges are getting more selective, there are plenty of colleges that would welcome you with a good financial aid package. don't stress too much- you'll do great. CC is a good reference site, just don't get too addicted. =P</p>
<p>I suspect that the OP may be turned off by the "What are my chances?" threads. In these people list their stats, or the stats they wished they had, or the stats they hope to have. From that point, a bunch of teenagers using CC as a chat room make a bunch of uninformed, sarcastic, useless comments. I feel that CC is a useful resource for information about applying to selective colleges, but don't get caught up in the "What are my changes?" threads. Even if the reviewers were all adcom members, they would have to see the actual app; and the selection process is such a lottery that it is hard to make predictions.</p>
<p>sleepibabi33 i totally agree with you
i have decent GPA and horrible PSAT experience that i don't even wanna think about
and i just realized i got like 3 of the completing the sentence thing wrong just 5 minutes before</p>